Privacy watchdog starts cookie crackdown

Companies that do not comply with new laws on collecting data from online customers will be contacted within weeks by the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is beginning a crackdown on infringements.

The move could affect about 65 percent of UK companies which, according to estimates by KPMG, are still not notifying visitors to their websites before installing cookies to track online behavior. This makes them potentially liable for fines of up to £500,000. Companies such as Tesco, Sainsburys, the Daily Mail and even government departments such as the Department for Work and Pensions are among those who do not appear to have changed their websites since the new laws came into force four months ago, according to checks by the Financial Times.